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Item posted: Thursday 20th February , 2014
Sailing is a special kind of freedom...
Sailing presents with a unique setting where one can become a part of one's environment, discover more about oneself, learn to engage with others, reading and engaging with the elements - learn how to adjust to the boat, helm, sails, accordingly, learn knots (seamanship) - to come to learn to ' engage' the boat as a part of oneself.
Being on the water is for many very centring (including myself), peaceful and yet energising, confronting and demanding in an affirming way. Sailing draws you in and engages you on all levels. That is one's heart, mind body and soul when engaging the elements, self, and others in a way where best outcomes, solutions and decisions are the focus.
This does not negate people's negative experiences with the elements or crew. But, out on the water one's mortality - survival is the safety emphasis, and so the value of life is more of a primary focus which tends to re-orientate one -a positive focus. A focus that is altruistic in its set up and ensuing outcomes.
All of us are in the same situation, circumstance, sailing in the same boat and engaging the same elements where team work and communication is pivotal...quite a leveller!
By virtue of this environment it is a contextually authentically inclusive environment challenging us to adapt ourselves to the same rules of engagement in with nature, drawing on her life giving energy in a sustainable way. Challenging us to use and grow our sailing skills to go with the flow…to engage the sailing conditions we find by adjusting our sails, helm, navigating a journey that is both personal, community orientated in an environmentally centric setting..
For many this enables a common bond that stems from a love of sailing and a sense it gives of ' I can fly with the wind!' For myself I find that this is where the world makes sense. I can more readily see the dynamics of the interlinked aspects and facets of life (components) in the big picture simultaneously at the same time from a platform (framework) of commonality (common elements).
In short, life makes sense. That is due to the very experiential environmental nature of sailing where one is directed to focus on that which is needful at a given time but at the same time, still giving layered analytical attention to what is going on around one so as to make a good decision with positive outcomes ensuing. Drawing on our respective knowledge and experience at a given time but also interlinking in with other’s knowledge and experience who are sailing with us. Important life skills are to be had and fine-tuned through the experience and challenge of sailing.
For myself, being on the water is where I find that I can breathe.
I grew up around family members who were either building wooden boats, piloting tugboats, roaring around in a speed boat, who knew the art of putting ship into bottles, boat blue prints, drawings and paintings, chatter regarding boats amongst other things and summers at the beach.